My First Giclee Print: Girl and Dragon

Hey everyone!

I couldn't wait to share with you all some exciting news! As you know I have ordered my very first giclee print and I finally picked it up today! There were some complications with the printer (as in it broke) so I had to wait an extra week for them to order a new special printer before it was ready. I'm so happy with the results and so I took some pictures for you :)

Here is me with the unveiling of the amazing print! It's the the first time I've seen it though, since I had to see it at the print shop to confirm, but still, that sounds way more dramatic. In any case, I was still happy to see it again. The owner of the print shop (River City Digital Graphics), Jim commented that he liked the painting and that I did a great job with it :) That was so great to hear, especially since he has been painting for a very long time. He also said that I did a great job with the digital image as it looks as good as if it were scanned (I took a picture with my camera with strategic lighting). That also was amazing to hear; it's always good to get confirmation that you are doing a good job.

Now that I have an archival quality print of this painting, I will be happy to share both with Andi and have him pick which ever one he wants to have. After all, this painting wouldn't have existed without him.

So that was my exciting news for today. That makes two posts in one day! Yowza :) Until next time!

<3 Kara

Giclee (zhee-klay) Prints

Good afternoon everyone!

Today I want to share with you all some of my recent research. Ever since I completed the painting of the girl with the dragon, I have been trying to figure out the best way to reproduce it. If you have read the post and/or seen the video, you know that I didn't draw it. My friend Andi drew it out and asked me to paint it for him. I wanted to give him the original and keep a copy for myself, but he's insisting that I keep the original and give him the copy. In either case, I wouldn't want either one of us to have a copy that won't last and isn't of good quality.

So I have been researching different methods of fine art prints. So far the one I have decided to use is called giclee (zhee-klay) printing. Giclee is a french word meaning "to squirt or spurt" which describes the method of putting color on paper/canvas that is characteristic of this giclee printing. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various surfaces including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy and archival quality than other means of reproduction.

To learn more about giclee prints, you can definitely do a search, or click on the following links:
 http://www.dpandi.com/giclee/
http://www.gicleeprint.net/abtGclee.shtm

There are various sites that offer this service but they all involve me shipping the painting to their company for scanning. I don't want to ship my painting out because you never know what happens once it leaves your possession right? Some sites have the option of me taking a picture of the painting and e-mailing that to them. The problem with this option is that I can't know for sure that the colors would turn out exactly the way it's supposed to. With that in mind, I have been looking for a local place that does giclee prints. This puts me at ease because I can bring the painting in and take it home with me, and I can pick up the print rather than having it shipped. I love online shopping and shipping but there are certain things that I would rather not go through the shipping process.

So, that's where I am at in my search. I'll definitely give an update once I find a local place and go through with it.

In the meanwhile, have a wonderful start to the week :)

<3 Kara

Girl with Dragon - New Painting Complete!

Hey everyone! It's an exciting day because I just finished my first video for Be Lured! Instead of writing about my latest painting, I've decided to talk about it. I was nervous to be on camera because I'm usually the one behind the camera, so yikes! And at the end of the video, I've put together a series of pictures that show the painting as it progresses from beginning to end.

There are a couple people I'd like to mention and give thanks to. First, a big thanks to my friend Andi who drew this picture that I painted! He's a great artist and does beautiful portraits. Also, thanks to my friend Eric (known as Out of the Void) for allowing me to use his songs for background music in this video. He's totally cool and recorded these for me on the spot when I asked him about it! And finally, thanks to my husband for all the encouragement, supplies and helping me record the video.

Without further ado, here's the video. Please let me know if you like this format of presenting my paintings and if there's something else you'd like to see!

Until next time!<3 Kara